Written by Noél Rich | 07 January 2013

YES! 2013, New Year already!

Hope you all had a very wonderful Christmas and now will have a truly blessed and fruitful 2013, all year and more!

This month finds us here in the U.S., we arrived Dec. 11 and will return to Perú Jan. 11, arriving in Arequipa Jan. 12, Lord willing. We are here for family weddings and visits. Our granddaughter, Mark's oldest daughter Tamra, was married in Florida Dec. 14, to Benjamin Travers. They had a very simple, practical, really lovely wedding. Now this Saturday Bob's nephew gets married in Michigan. We will be there, Lord willing, and then back here in Indiana for Sunday.

We should leave Monday to head back to Florida to fly out Friday the 11th. So it is a quick trip, and we thank all of you who have made it possible! Our dear 9 grandchildren have grown! Graduations from high school and college have occurred and more are to be coming! We had Christmas with our daughter Terri and her family in Northern Virginia, and our son Joe who lives in Indiana but accompanied us in Va. for Christmas too.

While there, Bob spoke at 2 churches: our son in law Josué's church in Virginia and in an English service, plus a Sunday School class there. Now we are with our son Paul and his wife Kim, and their 5 children here in northern Indiana. Bob will be sharing in their Spanish service here this Sunday. We are thankful for these opportunities to share and serve, and very thankful for our children and families who are serving the Lord and growing in Him.

From Perú we hear that our brethren are doing well and waiting for us to return. They are in their "summer" vacation from school, and we hear that they are working on the building of the third floor of the primary school building, and should be able to finish that soon, as it is not really raining much there yet. Severe rains could cause delays in construction, so we thank you all for praying for this finished project in these next 2 months.

Some of our youth are traveling this month for missions training and also for service and outreach in their mountain and valley towns. We pray for them and ask you to please pray that our youth and brethren in Perú will indeed retain a missionary vision and will carry on in God's Word and service for Him. Please also pray for wisdom and direction for leaders there, elders especially for our main Arequipa church. Thanks so much!

Written by Noél Rich | 03 December 2012

Hi to you all!

Well, this year has gone fast! I say that every year now, as it happens that way! We trust you had a blessed Thanksgiving and will have a very joyful Christmas season, remembering God's unfathomable love for us in sending us our Saviour! HE is our Life!

What a privilege it is to teach God's Word! A couple weeks ago a dear gal who comes to our adolescent meeting was baptized here. I am really thankful to be able to work with these adolescents - this is the second one who was baptized here, and another gal was baptized in Puno when we were there last month. Well, the first two are also my students in school, and the school has had a real positive influence on them.

This last one, dear Veronica, comes from a broken home. Her mom is a dear believer here, but her dad, who is a dr., is not. He at first accepted her being baptized but this past week has given her a real hard time over it. She spends every other weekend with her mom and lives with the dad and his wife and family. The adolescents went with me to the State boys' home Saturday, Dec. 1, and Veronica's dad refused to let her go. This was very sad for all of us.

We were able to give out little Christmas bags to the almost 80 abandoned boys down there (many of them street kids), and have a good time of testifying to them. The teens from here had prepared some Christian skits illustrating the Gospel and our youth leader who helps with the adolescent meetings was able to give a short message. Please pray for these outreaches. It is good to see our youth serve and witness. A group of the older youth go out to the nearby town of Yarabamba and vicinity each Sunday aft. witnessing and having Bible studies with interested ones there. God is blessing these efforts too. Thanks so much for praying!

Now we are in the midst of final exams at school. I am having to stay up too late and all to get all mine done and graded and registered, etc. before we leave Mon. Dec. 10 for just one month with family in the U.S. Our oldest granddaughter is getting married Dec. 14 in Florida!! Wow, that makes me feel old! But we do want to share in this joyful time in her life. We are truly thankful for our children and grandchildren following the Lord!!

The third floor of the primary school has the bases up for the light construction to be put on it as soon as vacation starts, mid December. We trust all will be finished and in use by March when school starts again here. Thanks so much for all who have given and prayed for this project.

Bob continues faithfully preparing and teaching God's Word, also dealing with countless dear brethren here who have problems. God is blessing, but there are always problems - in our homes, with the fight against sin in many of our believers too. Bob has a vast teaching, visiting, encouraging and counselling ministry.

Truly, thanks so much to all of you who pray and share! May God give you a very blessed and joyful Christmas! Thank God for Christ!

Written by Noél Rich | 01 November 2012

Hi you all!

Already November, and in spite of difficulties we have much to give thanks for!

Last month we helped in another funeral, this time it was of a young man who really wasn't in our church here though he had come some before and did appreciate Bob's studies. Luis Angel was a psychology major in the university and really desired to help others know the Lord through his sharing. He had worked some in our Ebenezer school and had been in Lima for several months for special courses. He was diagnosed with leukemia and was back in Lima for treatment. He had recovered a good bit then suddenly had a relapse and God took him home. His folks brought the body here for the funeral. Bob spoke there and we sang, several of the family members are not believers so we think it was a testimony to them. The parents live in Puno and are now back there.

As for the Llerena family, they still need prayer, but we are thankful that the Dad, Justo Pastor, is recovering. He is still in the hospital, had a liver infection (pus in the liver which is still being drained) and was operated on last week. At first the family was told he had liver cancer, which was a terrible blow to hear right after their son committed suicide. At least now the drs. have said it is NOT cancer. A cyst was removed from Justo's liver and he has a drain in to remove the pus and clean it out. He can finally eat a little without vomiting, and though he still has pain, he is better. Thanks for praying for the whole family, still!

Bob has had some good trips with some baptisms in the Majes valley. Last Sunday we baptized a young guy (Lucho) here who has been coming to the adolescent meetings on Sat. aft. here in the main Arequipa church. I have been teaching the lessons for this, and ask for prayer. It is time consuming but we really want these kids to know Christ. Now two more girls who come to this want to be baptized, so please help us pray for them. Our older youth group is involved in a Sunday afternoon outreach to a town outside of Arequipa, Yarabamba, which has no Christian church. A couple of the older believers also go and they give out tracts and witness and have found some truly interested. Some of our girls work with the children who come out to the plaza, and others split up to visit homes. Several of the youth group want to visit a mountain town, Orcopampa, mid November, to help in the small church there and reach out too. Thanks for praying for our youth. We praise the Lord for working in and through them.

Please keep praying for wisdom in appointing elders in the main Arequipa church. Bob continues in preparation of a few, and we need God's timing and guiding to see this need fulfilled.

Here we are in prayer for the upcoming elections in the U.S. We know the Lord is ultimately in control, whatever happens. And we are truly thankful for the freedom we have here to proclaim His Word. We hope each of you will have a very Blessed Thanksgiving, not just one day, but every day! We thank you truly for all your praying and sharing with us!

Written by Noél Rich | 04 October 2012

Hi to you all!

October is going fast. I have been really busy and we need your prayers! Thank you so very much for praying for us and for helping us here. School anniversary program is tomorrow. We pray for God to be glorified in all the presentations. Lord willing, I am doing songs with 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades and a skit with the 5th graders.

The students are really getting all excited as we will have a vacation of one week and they are finished with their tests and full of "spring fever" etc. The Lord is blessing and we continue really thankful for the opportunity to share Christ with the students, parents, and teachers. One of the teachers came to talk to Bob yesterday. He is ministering in an abandoned children's home and wants to influence the kids for God. Thanks for praying for the ministries of the school.

Late September one of our deacon's family had a tragedy in his family. Their oldest son killed himself by hanging after being left by his live in girlfriend, whom he hoped to marry and with whom had a little daughter of over a year. Toño was desperate and just couldn't deal with the depression. He had come to church that morning and had confessed that he had wandered from the Lord. His folks and adopted brother, (our Pepe) had talked to him and counseled him, but early Monday morning Pepe found him dead, hung in his room.

We had the funeral and burial, but it still is a real hardship for especially the parents. Toño was 35. The Dad, our deacon Justo Pastor, has been in radiation therapy for cancer for most of this year and after the suicide of his son has had continued high fevers and bad colic. Our govt. paid doctors are on strike and Pastor has had a hard time getting the needed medical attention, but supposedly they are going to remove his gall bladder to see if that helps. However, his sickness plus the death of their son is especially hard on Narcisa, his wife, now.

Please pray especially for the parents: JUSTO PASTOR and NARCISA LLERENA. Their other children are grown, two married and the other older son came from Chile for at least a week to try to help. Pepe is taking it all about the best of the family, but is obviously affected too. Thanks for your prayers.

Bob had some profitable trips, and this weekend is going to Camaná for the baptism of two of the grown children of the brother who leads the meetings there. For the next weekend he may go to Aplao for the baptism of another new believer and wife from the Majes Valley. Thanks so much for praying, the car is working wonderfully. We are very thankful for this vehicle.

Our older youth group has been doing a course on preparation for marriage. Please pray for solid marriages and homes to be formed among our believers in these very shaky days. Some of these youth are also studying and preparing for how they can be involved in missions. We praise the Lord for some real dedicated youth here. Some of them are also going out Sunday afternoons to witness and meet with interested people in a town about an hour's drive from here that has no church.

Again, thanks so very much for praying for us and for helping us in God's work here. Many blessings, Noél for us

Written by Noél Rich | 03 September 2012

Hi dear friends!

Well, yes, spring is coming here this month. It is getting warmer, but it really is windy, which brings dust, etc. August went really fast. Here we had several weddings. Some of these were opportunities to share God's Word with unconverted relatives and friends. This is a testimony for our Lord and we are thankful for every opportunity.

However, along with the sweet comes some sour. Some of our previously married couples have had serious marriage problems. We are concerned and are praying for several of these. Seems like Satan attacks most at the core of Christian life, the home and family. Way too many homes are destroyed and we ask your prayers for this situation here, for wisdom in counseling and teaching, for true love. Our youth are studying a booklet to help them prepare for this most important step in their lives, and Bob and I are helping them some, Bob with the guys and me with the girls. We praise the Lord for some really dedicated youth here in our main church in Arequipa. I also am helping with the adolescent, pre and early teens, on Sat. afternoons. Please help us pray for these kids, as well as the ones in school. Our desire is to see them follow the Lord faithfully all their lives, and not stray when they grow up.

Bob has had some profitable trips to different mountain areas, and is now on his way to Culypampa for 3 days of teaching God's Word. He is going with our national worker, Teodoro, especially for the help with the Quechua. Other believers are going from Cotahuasi, especially Brad Shaw's son in law, Aaron Kieda. Thanks for your prayers! Also, really neat to see how the car is working, truly great! Gas is really expensive here though. I am thankful I have not had any more "nosedives", but our dollar rate sure has taken too many nose dives! It is at an all time low! God is providing and we truly do thank you for your part with us!

However, again, with the sweet, comes some sour. We have had problems with some of our national workers. We personally as well as the church here are no longer supporting Nicolas Ala, because of his proud and uncooperative attitudes. We do pray for the Lord to work in his heart. Most of you know we cut off Alvaro as well, he had been involved in serious lying and swindling. Please help us pray for the right solution for the radio he was administering. It is no longer being aired but they have not been able to sell it yet. We pray for God to lead in this situation, sometimes it is hard to know how to pray!

School is going fast, once again I have lots of tests to give, grade, register, etc., but God is giving strength. Discipline continues to be a problem, especially in the older grades, 6th especially. But there are several there who really want to learn and know God too, and this really gives me motivation to keep on. Thanks for praying for fruit in lives, students, teachers, and parents. Bob has a teaching session with the teachers every other week. Please pray for this, sometimes it seems the teachers are really tired or just not too interested. Some are though, which helps! Bob has some home Bible studies, one especially will grow into a church, maybe, as it is in a distant part of Arequipa. Folks from there come down to town here for church, but are active in the weekly Bible study up there so we think a permanent meeting may be established in their neighborhood. Thanks for praying for this too!

One thing that is a concern here is our increased and increasing traffic, contamination, and smog. Our street is getting really awful. They are fixing several of the streets because of the damage and flooding caused by last year's rains, which makes them close off streets, block up traffic, yuk. So thankful we can walk to a lot of places.

Thanks so much for all your praying and sharing with us. Many thanks and blessings for you all,

Noél for us.